annullation

Annullation is the act of declaring something legally invalid and as if it never existed. The term is used in civil and ecclesiastical contexts to refer to nullity or voiding of legal instruments, decisions, or relationships. The spelling annullation is less common in contemporary English, where annulment (or, in some contexts, nullity) is more widely used. The word derives from Latin annullare, "to make void."

In marriage law, annullation (more commonly annulment) denotes a declaration that a marriage was invalid from the outset; it differs from dissolution by divorce, which recognizes a valid union that ends. Grounds may include lack of consent, coercion, incapacity, or bigamy. In contract or civil law, annullation voids an agreement from its beginning when essential elements were missing or a fundamental defect existed. Some jurisdictions differentiate void contracts from merely unenforceable ones.

Process and effects: An annullation typically requires a formal petition or ruling by a competent authority. The effect is retroactive: the act or relationship is treated as never having legally existed, with consequences for rights and obligations, property, and statuses such as legitimacy of children in marriages.

In religious law, annullation has historical usage in ecclesiastical contexts; most modern English usage uses annulment. See also annulment, nullity, cancellation.